Weather seal for lock



Oct. 18, 1960 c. J. SIMMONS 2,956,430

WEATHER SEAL FOR LOCK Filed June 16, 1958 EL &

5 5 5O 26 f" "1*. & Tm i 50 48 INVENTOR.

CALVIN J. SIMMONS BY FINN G. OLSEN ATTORNEY United States Patent WEATHER SEAL FOR LOCK Calvin J. Simmons, Royal Oak, Mich., assignor to Hnrd Lock & Manufacturing Co., Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed June 16, 1958, Ser. No. 742,258

9 Claims. (Cl. 70-455) The present invention relates to a key hole cover assembly for a lock and especially for door locks of automobiles.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved key hole cover assembly for door locks of automobiles, which assembly is constructed and arranged so that it will effectively seal the key hole of the lock from moisture, foreign matter and the like, and which is compact so as to occupy minimum space.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved key hole cover assembly of the foregoing character which is constructed and arranged so that it can be readily opened in the event ice should form thereon during inclement weather conditions.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved key hole cover of the foregoing character which has relatively few and simple parts so that it can be constructed and assembled at minimum cost.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved key hole cover assembly utilizing a pair of laterally movable shutters for covering the key hole, said shutters being pivotally mounted so that a minimum of pivotal movement of each shutter is required to open the cover assembly and allow access to the key hole.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved key hole cover assembly of the foregoing character wherein said shutters are urged together into a closed position by a single spring.

it is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved key hole cover assembly of the foregoing character wherein a scalp overlies said shutters and said single spring is employed to perform the dual function of urging the shutters together in a closed position and of urging said shutters against said scalp so as to provide an effective weather seal therebetween.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a key hole cover assembly embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1, but with portions removed or omitted to illustrate the movable elements of the invention;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation, with a portion being shown in section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an elevation of one of the shutters forming a part of the illustrated embodiment; and

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of 2,956,430 Patented Oct. 18, 1960 being practiced or carried out in various Ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring now to the drawing a more detailed description of the present invention will be given. The doorlock 10 includes a cylinder 12 on the one end of which is the cylinder head 14. The cylinder 12 is of a conventional type and contains a key hole (not shown) at its right end, as seen in Figure 3.

The cylinder head 14 is hollow or of an annular shape and its radially inner and axially outer edge is cut away to form a recessed portion 18, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter. An anular groove 20 is formed in the outer periphery of the cylinder head 14, and a scalp 22 is clinched over the end of cylinder head 14 and into said annular groove 20. As seen in Figures 1 and 3, the scalp 22 has a key slot 24 which is aligned with the key hole (not shown) in the cylinder 12.

Mounted between the scalp 22 and the axially outer surface of the cylinder head 14 are a pair of shutters 26 and 28. Supporting the shutters 26 and 28 for pivotal movement in lateral directions are the pins 30 and 32 which extend from the cylinder head 14. The pins 30 and 32 are located on opposite sides of a vertical axially extending plane through the median of the slot 24, and the shutters 26 and 28 are mounted so that their free ends 34 and 36 lie adjacent the pins 30 and 32. By virtue of this arrangement, when the shutters 26 and 28 are swung open they will approach positions parallel to said plane through the median of said key slot 24, thus, allowing access to the key hole (not shown) with a minimum movement of said shutters. It will be observe-d that the adjacent or contacting sides of the shutters 26 and 28 form a plane which extends diagonally across the key slot 24.

The shutters 26 and 28 normally will be in the closed positions shown in the drawing. For the purpose of urging them closed, a generally U-shaped spring 38, which has its ends 40 and 42 turned toward each other, is provided. A pair of pins 44 and 46 which extend from the end of cylinder head 14 may be used to aid in maintaining the position of the spring 38. As can be seen, the common or lower ends of the pair of shutters 26 and 28 are in the recessed portion 18 and the U-shaped spring 38 encloses them with the ends 40 and 42 pressing against the outer sides of the shutters, urging the shutters together.

Not only does the spring 38 urge the shutters 26 and 28 together, but it urges these pieces against the axially inner surface of the scalp 22 to effect a weather tight seal around the key slot 24. Referring to Figures 4 and 5 it will be seen that the outer side 48 of the shutter 26 is inclined, or, when in assembled position, is flared outwardly toward the inner surface of the scalp 22. The other shutter 28 is similarly constructed. Thus, when the ends of spring 38 urge the shutters together such ends will also exert a component of force tending to push the shutters 26 and 28 against the scalp 22.

It is to be noted that the thickness of the shutters 26 and 28 is less than the axial depth of the recessed portion 18 so that there will be a limited amount of free movement of the shutters 26 and 28 in an axial direction of the door lock 10. This is a feature which allows the shutters 26 and 28 to be pushed inward a small amount when inserting a key into the key slot 24 so that if a film of ice may have formed on the outer surface of the lock, such ice film will readily be broken by inward movement of the shutters.

For the purpose of assisting in separating the shutters 26 and 28 when a key is inserted into the key slot 24, the axially outer adjacent edges are chamfered as at 50.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that a door lock has been developed which has very ettective weather sealing means, and which has a minimum overall axial length, thereby conserving space when the lock is to be mounted in an automobile door; Furthermore; the lock cover assembly has a minimum of parts and requires minimum movement of the shutters to provide suitable space for passage of a key therebetween to the key hole injt he cylinder,

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1;. In alock construction, a cylinder, an annular cylinder head fitting over one end of said cylinder and having an annular recessed portion around its radially inner and axially outer edge, a scalp fitting over the outer side of said cylinder head and having a key slot passing through the axis of said cylinder, a pair of shutters extending diagonally across the inner side of said key slot in side-by-side relation so as to close the slot and with theends of the shutters fitting intosaid recessed portion, said shutters being pivotally mounted at opposite ends between the base of said recessed portion and said scalp so that separating said shutters will cause the free end of each -shutte-r to swing away from the pivoted end of the other shutter, a spring member of generally U-shape with its ends turned toward one another positioned in sm'd recessed portion with the endsengaging opposite sides of said shutters urging them-together so as to keep said slot normally closed, said shutters having chamfered adjacent edges so that a key may be inserted into said slot and pressed against said chamfered edges causing them to separate against the pressure of said spring and thereby permitting the key to pass through said slot.

2. In a lock construction, a cylinder assembly having an open end with a recessed portion around the radially inner'and axially outer edge of said open end, a scalp fitting over said open end of the cylinder assembly and having a key slot providing access into said cylinder assembly, a pair of shutters positioned in side-by-side relation across the inner side of said scalp so :as to close said slot and with the ends of the shutters fitting into said recessed portion, said shutters being pivotally mounted on opposite ends in said recessed portion so that the free end of each shutter can be swung laterally away from the pivoted end of the other shutter, the adjacent axially outer edges of said shutters being chamfered to aid in separating said shutters when a key is pressed between the chambered edges, and spring means urging said shutters together.

3. In a lock construction, a cylinder assembly having an open end with a recessed portion around the radially inner and axially outer edge of said open end, a scalp fitting over the one end of the cylinder assembly and having a key slot providing access into said cylinder assembly, a pair of shutters positioned in side-by-side relation across the inner side of said scalp so as to close said slot and with the ends of the shutters fitting into said recessed portion, said shutters being pivotally mounted on opposite ends in said recessed portion so that the free end of each shutter can be swung laterally away from the pivoted end of the other shutter, the adjacent axially outer edges'of said shutters being chamfered to aid in separating said shutters when a key is pressed between the chamfered edge-s, the axial depth of said recess with respect to the inner surface of said scalp being greater than the thickness of said shutters so that the latter are permitted limited movement in the axial direction of said cylinder assembly, and spring means urgingsaid shutters together and against the inner surface of said scalp.

4. In a lock construction, a cylinder assembly having an .open end with a recessed portion around the radially inner and axially outer edge of said open end, a scalp fitting over the one end of the cylinder assembly and having a key slot providing access into said cylinder assembly, a pair of shutters positioned in side-by-side relation across the inner side ofsaid scalp so as to close said slot and with the ends of the shutters fitting into said recessed portion, said shutters being pivotally mounted on opposite ends in said recessed portion so that the free end of each shutter can be swung laterally away from the pivoted end of the other shutter, the adjacent axially outer edges of said shutters being chamfered to aid in separating said shutters when a key is pressed between the cha'mfered edges, the axial depth of said recess with respect to the inner surface of said scalp being greater than the thickness of said shutters so that the latter are permitted limited movement in the axial direction of said cylinder assembly, the edges of said shutters opposite said adjacent edges flaring axially and radially outwardly, and a generally U-shaped spring with its ends turned toward one another positioned so as to enclose one of the common ends of said pair of shutters with the ends of the spring engaging the opposite flared edges of said shutters urging the shutters together and simultaneously into engagement with said scalp.

5. In a lock construction, a cylinder assembly, a scalp fitting over the one end of the cylinder assembly and having a key slot providing access for a key into said cylinder assembly, said scalp being spaced axially from the radially inner portion of said cylinder assembly, a pair of shutters positioned in side-by-side relation across theflinner side of said scalp so as to close said slot, said radially inner portion having two diametrically opposed axially extending pins terminating adjacent said scalp, one each of the opposite ends of said shutters being pivotally mounted on said'pins so that the free end of each shutter can be swung laterally away from the pivoted end of the other shutter, the axes of said pins being in a plane diagonally disposed with respect to said slot, said shutters being arranged on said pins so that the free end of each shutter is nearer to the longitudinal axis of said slot than is the pivoted end of the other shutter, thereby permitting said shutters to be moved to positions substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said slot, and spring means urging said shutters together.

6. In a lock construction, a cylinder assembly, a scalp fitting over the one end of the cylinder assembly and having a key slot providing access for a key into said cylinder assembly, said scalp being spaced axially from the radially inner portion of said cylinder assembly, a pair of shutters positioned in side-by-side relation across the inner side of said scalp so as to close said slot, said radially inner portion having two diametrically opposed axially extending pins terminating adjacent said scalp, one each of the opposite ends of said shutters being pivotally mounted on said pins so that the free end of each shutter can be swung laterally away from the pivoted end of the other shutter, the axes of said pins being in a plane diagonally disposed with respect to said slot, said shutters being arranged on said pins so that the free end of each shutter is nearer to the longitudinal axis of said slot than is the pivoted end of the other shutter, thereby permitting said shutters to be moved to positions substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said slot, and a generally U-shaped spring with its ends turned toward one another positioned so as to enclose one of the common ends of said shutters with the ends of said spring engaging the outer sides of said shutters urging them together.

7. In a lock construction, a cylinder assembly, a scalp fitting over the one end of the cylinder assembly and oted end of the other shutter, the axes of said pins being in a plane diagonally disposed with respect to said slot, said shutters being arranged on said pins so that the free end of each shutter is nearer to the longitudinal axis of said slot than is the pivoted end of the other shutter, thereby permitting said shutters to be moved to positions substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said slot, the outer sides of said shutters being flared toward said scalp, and a generally U-shaped spring with its ends turned toward one another positioned so as to enclose one of the common ends of said shutters with the ends of said spring engaging the flared outer sides of the shutters urging the shutters together and toward said scalp.

8. In a lock construction, a cylinder assembly, a scalp fitting over the one end of the cylinder assembly and having a key slot providing access for a key into said cylinder assembly, said scalp being spaced axially from the radially inner portion of said cylinder assembly, a

pair of shutters positioned in side-by-side relation across 20 end of the other shutter, said shutters having a thickness less than the spacing between said scalp and said radially inner portion of said cylinder assembly, the outer sides of said shutters being flared toward said scalp, and a generally U-shaped spring with its ends turned toward one another positioned so as to enclose one of the common ends of said shutters with the ends of said spring engaging the flared outer sides of the shutters urging the shutters together and toward said scalp.

9. The combination claimed in claim 8 wherein the shutters have notched portions on their surfaces at said slot so that a key can be inserted through said slot and pressed into said notched portions to separate said shutters. 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,560,868 Shinn Nov. 10, 1925 1,757,387 Rabkin May 6, 1930 2,255,070 Malluk Sept. 9, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 30,647 France Apr. 20, 1926 (1st addition to 598,499) 

